Children Born In the Summer Are More Likely to Be Healthy Adults

Sure, we've all heard the theory that summer babies are sunnier, more outgoing and happier, whereas winter babies are more withdrawn, quiet and mysterious. But new research suggests that the time of the year that you were born actually may have an impact on your overall health.

A new study suggests that people born in the summer are often healthier as babies and as adults. The study, which involved half a million participants from the UK, found that babies born in June, July and August are often heavier as babies and taller as adults.

Advertisement - Continue Reading Below

Furthermore, the study found that girls born in summer months actually started puberty later, which is an indication of better health in adulthood. Early puberty has been linked to a higher risk of diabetes, heart disease and breast cancer in the past.

The author of the study, Dr. John Perry, explained the researchers' reasoning behind choosing to study month of birth: "It's not affected by social class, your parents' ages or their health—so looking for patterns with birth month is a powerful study design to identify influences of the environment before birth." He added, "Our results show [that the] birth month has a measurement effect on development and health."

Most Popular

One possible explanation behind the findings? That mother who give birth in the summer often have a much higher exposure to the sun and vitamin D, which could lead to the positive health benefits.

"We think vitamin D exposure is important and our findings will hopefully encourage other research on the long-term effects of early life vitamin D on puberty timing and health," said Perry.

In the past, researchers have linked winter month births to a higher risk of health problems later in life, including slower growth, mental illness and even premature death.